H1N1 Influenza (Flu)

Current Update 2.9.10

Free H1N1 Vaccines Available at Student Wellness Center

About 900 doses of H1N1 vaccine remain available from the allotment Texas Tech University received from the state last week.

Those doses are available to all Texas Tech faculty, staff and students on a first-come, first-served basis. Vaccinations are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Student Wellness Center (located on the Northeast corner of the intersection of Main Street and Flint Ave) with some form of Texas Tech identification.

No appointment is necessary. There is no charge for the vaccinations.

 

H1N1 Vaccines Available for students, faculty and staff in the high risk population Dec. 9 and 10

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has notified Texas Tech that about 1,300 doses of the Novel H1N1 vaccine will be made available to the university. DSHS has indicated that these doses are intended for individuals in groups at high risk for complications from the Novel H1N1 virus infection.

Who is at High Risk?

Individuals at high risk are defined by the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) and include the following:

• Persons aged 65 years or older
• Children and adolescents (less than 18 years) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection
• Pregnant women
• Adults and children who have chronic pulmonary, cardiovascular, hepatic, hematological, neurologic, neuromuscular or metabolic disorders
• Adults and children who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by HIV)

Clinics planned for Texas Tech faculty, staff and students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 9 and 10 at the Student Wellness Center (located on the Northeast corner of the intersection of Main Street and Flint Ave).

No appointment is necessary; vaccinations will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please bring some form of Texas Tech identification with you. There is no charge for the vaccinations.

 

From Texasflu.org:

Flu activity in Texas is classified as “widespread.” DSHS News Updates

The “widespread” classification is used when there are increases in flu-like illnesses and recent lab-confirmed flu cases in at least half of the state's regions.

Flu is not a reportable condition in Texas, but DSHS relies on reports from a surveillance network to classify flu activity. DSHS reports the weekly classifications to the CDC.

CDC’s flu-activity classifications range from no activity to sporadic, local, regional and widespread.

What You Can Do:

Stay Informed

TexasFlu.org is the DSHS site for flu information in Texas. Bookmark it. Sign up to receive Twitter and e-mail notices when information is posted. Dial 2-1-1 for flu advice.

Get a Flu Shot

Flu vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself and others from flu. Get a seasonal flu vaccination and an H1N1 flu vaccination when it becomes available in your community.

Stop the Spread

Wash hands frequently. Cover coughs and sneezes. Stay home if you’re sick. Have a plan to care for sick family members at home.

Symptoms at a Glance (Cold vs. Flu)

Symptom	Cold	Flu
Fever	Rare	Usually Present
Aches	Slight	Usual, often severe
Chills	Uncommon	Fairly common
Tiredness	Mild	Moderate to severe
Sudden Symptoms	Symptoms appear gradually	Symptoms can appear within 3-6 hours
Coughing	Hacking, productive cough	Dry, unproductive cough
Sneezing	Common	Uncommon
Stuffy nose	Common	Uncommon
Sore throat	Common	Uncommon
Chest Discomfort	Mild to moderate	Often severe
Headache	Uncommon	Common

 

H1N1 Vaccine

Texas Tech has registered with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to be a provider of the H1N1 vaccine and has requested 35,000 vaccinations for the Texas Tech community. DSHS has indicated that vaccinations will be available in mid-to-late October.

We are starting to see a small number of cases of flu in our student population. The numbers are typical of what is seen in the Student Wellness Center at this time of year.

We continue to encourage all students, faculty and staff to get the seasonal flu vaccination as soon as possible. Students can make appointments now for the seasonal flu vaccine at (806) 743.2848. Several seasonal flu vaccine clinics will be offered around campus beginning Sept. 29. Download the brochure for dates and locations.

In the meantime, plan ahead and follow the recommendations at Texasflu.org.

Parents and students should make sure they know the signs and symptoms of the flu and what to do if they get sick. Faculty and staff should plan for the possibility that they may need to miss work or classes to care for themselves or their families.

For more information on the flu go to Texasflu.org.

 

A Message from President Bailey

View or download a message to the Texas Tech community from President Bailey.

With the beginning of the fall semester, we are taking steps to prevent the spread of flu at Texas Tech and we need your help to accomplish this.

We are following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and the Texas Department of State Health Services, and are working closely with the Lubbock Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions concerning our institution. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us.

We are doing everything we can to keep our institution operating as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help:

• Practice good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleaners, especially after coughing or sneezing. Disinfect personal and public areas when possible including high-touch surfaces (doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks).
  
• Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands.  Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
  
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal to or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius.
• Don’t go to class or work if you have flu or flu-like illness for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever. This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Avoid public places and limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
  
• Consider vaccinations as they become available.
  • Talk with your health care provider about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. The seasonal flu vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against novel H1N1 influenza. 
  • An H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and may be ready for the public in the fall. This vaccine is not intended to replace the seasonal flu vaccine – it is intended to be used in conjunction with the seasonal flu vaccine.  If you are at higher risk for flu complications from 2009 H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. People at higher risk for H1N1 flu complications include individuals from six months through 24 years of age, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes). For more information about priority groups for vaccination, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm.

We will keep this site updated of any additional changes to our institution’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu on our campus.

 

Prevention is the Best Medicine

• Avoid close contact
• Stay home when you are sick
• Cover your mouth and nose
• Clean your hands
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth

H1N1 Flu Symptoms

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headache

6/11/2009

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway.

NOTE: WHO’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.

The CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks because the population has little to no immunity against it.

Please refer to their Web site for general guidance on the outbreak.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as necessary.

To clarify some misinformation you may have heard, the Centers for Disease Control emphasizes that you cannot get H1N1 Flu from eating pork or pork products. While the outbreak of this new influenza virus in people has its origin in H1N1, it is not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

For more answers to questions you may have, please see the CDC Key Facts About H1N1 Influenza.